


True Blue

by FourOhFour



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Biotics, Dildos, F/F, First Dates, Misuse of Biotics, Oral Sex, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 04:18:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4732577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FourOhFour/pseuds/FourOhFour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wanting to make up for an unkind remark, Ashley Williams agrees to a friendly dinner meet with Liara while on shoreleave.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ashley wiped the sweat off her brow as she walked out of the combat simulator. She couldn't believe that she was spending her shoreleave getting into firefights, but Shepard had gotten her a pass, and it seemed a shame to waste it. And it was also nice to get a chance to take on some Cerberus troops without the legitimate worry of death for a change.

“Very impressive, Commander.”

Ashley almost jumped at the sound of Liara's voice. She'd missed the woman in the crowd, probably because she wasn't the best at picking out Asari faces. She knew they didn't all look the same, or anything like that, but some identifying marks, like hair and eye color, were out of the question. They did have different colored eyes, but they were always shades of blue. She could tell the difference between one and another, and she could certainly recognize Liara, but she was much less likely to notice her in a crowd.

“You were watching?” Ashley said.

Liara grinned. “I'm always watching; you know that.”

“And now it's creepy. Great.”

Liara had been a little hard for Ashley to recognize ever since she came back to the Normandy, actually. It wasn't just that she'd gotten bluer somehow. Maybe a tan? Or did Asari just do that when they got older? But the awkward, nerdy, socially inept scientist was a lot harder to see now. Not gone, sometimes that part of Liara still came out in full force even. The last three years had changed everyone though, Liara more than most. The woman Ashley looked at now in front of her was the picture of confidence, and there was even a little mischief in her eyes. She'd done a lot of growing up over the past three years. Ashley almost regretted it. Liara's innocence had used to annoy her. Now there was so precious little of it left in the galaxy, Ashley wished Liara had been able to keep a little more of hers.

“I’m actually here to meet up with Ath— my dad, for a little while. I just haven’t found her, and then I saw you on the screens, and thought I should drop by and say hello,” Liara said. “We never seem to talk too much on the Normandy. I know that’s partly my fault, I’m always working.”

“I… may have been avoiding you a little,” Ashley said. “I wasn’t always the nicest to you on the original Normandy. I… may have talked behind your back a little.”

“Ah yes… Garrus did mention you wanted to ask me about my sex life. … He might have talked behind your back a little too.”

“Ah…” Ashley said. “Look, about that… I’m sorry. I don’t have an excuse. Most of what I said then, I don’t regret. I don’t think I was wrong to be a little suspicious of you given what I knew, but I took it a little too far. For Garrus and Wrex too.” 

“I’m not trying to throw it in your face,” Liara said. “We were all different people. Garrus is quite fond of you now, and it used to be he couldn’t stand you. These days, you could even ask me about my sex life. If you really wanted to.”

Ashley blinked, taken aback by Liara’s tone, and even moreso when Liara moved closer, close enough Ashley could smell her perfume. Was it perfume? It wasn’t a smell Ashley recognized. It might have been some Thessian fragrance she didn’t recognize. Or maybe Asari just smelled good all on their own. It seemed like them. 

“Liara…” Ashley said. “Are you… I mean…”

“Let’s have dinner,” Liara said. “I think we could be friends. And we have the opportunity, while we’re on shore leave. Maybe the place across from the sushi place Shepard wrecked?”

“I… sure,” Ashley said. “I guess a nice, friendly dinner sounds… good.”

“Tonight then,” Liara said. “I look forward to it.”

Ashley wasn’t quite sure how to respond, but didn’t want to be rude. Fortunately for her, there was a collective groan as the current match ended in failure, and a moment of silence while the crowds waited for the next one to start. 

“I’m telling you,” a slightly raspy female voice drifted across the area. “Your holograms need to respond better to melee. A biotically amped punch to the quad is putting a Cerberus soldier down, armor or no armor. I know because I tried it for real.” 

“I think I found your dad,” Ashley said. 

“Sounds like her. I’ll see you tonight, Commander Williams.” 

Liara walked away, with a slight wiggle in her hips that Ashley was positive was not natural or accidental. It took her several moments longer to realize she was staring.

\----- 

The restaurant Liara had picked was nicely uncrowded, likely because the large glass windows now had a view of a floorless sushi place, still cordoned off by C-Sec. Ashley was actually a bit fond of the view. The rest of the restaurant was all fancy glassware and lights. It was fancy, and elegant, almost to the point of feeling like make-believe. The C-Sec presence outside was a welcome intrusion of reality. Fancy things, and pretty things were okay, but Ashley disliked anywhere that tried to look perfect. It was what she disliked about the presidium in general. The slight flaw was what stopped it being over the top. 

For the second time, Ashley hardly recognized Liara when she sat down across from her. It wasn't because she'd lost her in a crowd this time, but because of the dress she wore. It was just elegant and embroidered enough that it didn't clash with the restaurant’s décor while just barely toeing the line before it was small enough to be tasteless. For the first time in her life, Ashley found it an effort not to at least glance down at a woman's neckline, though she refused to be so crass. 

“You... you look good, Liara,” Ashley said after a few moments. 

“You look nervous,” Liara said. “Also good. But nervous. What's wrong?”

“This... doesn't seem like you,” Ashley said. “I know we've all changed over the years, but...”

Liara shook her head. “No, you're right. This isn't like me. I haven't even changed that much. I have. But most of the time, I'm just pretending. Whenever I have to do something particularly brutal, especially. And, of course, when I'm nervous too. Still, it's a good imitation of confidence, yes?”

“Very good,” Ashley said. “though I'm a little afraid to ask what you're nervous about.”

“A bottle of Thessian Red, if you please,” Liara said to an approaching waiter, who seemed disinclined to actually speak, and more inclined to assume the clients knew what he was hovering around their table for. He gave a curt, if polite nod and moved off, Liara waiting until he was out of earshot before continuing. “I'm pretty sure you've guessed why I'm nervous, Ashley. I'm nervous because I decided I was going to tell you about the crush I have on you. That I've always had.”

“... Me?” was all Ashley could say. While the idea had occurred to her from the was Liara was dressed, even from the invitation itself, it seemed impossible.

“You have a lot of traits I admire,” Liara said. “You're strong. Driven. Confident. Everything I wasn't, and wanted to be. Everything I still work very hard at. It doesn't just come easily to you, it's who you are. I've seen your Alliance records. There's a lot of notes that say you've only just fallen short of active insubordination.” 

“Yeah, well... that's what gets me into trouble. That's how I wind up shooting my mouth off about the new asari scientist my commander brought on board, for example...” 

Liara laughed slightly, her fingers toying with her fork. “Well, it's something I like about you anyway. You don't have to feel the same way. I'll get over it, and I'd be honored just to call you a friend. But I thought you should know. Or, I suppose, I thought I should tell. You're back. We have a little bit of a break right now. It just felt like this was the right time.” 

Ashley blushed slightly and cursed herself for it.

“There's a lot of things I admire about you as well,” Ashley said. “Maybe a little grudgingly at first. Normally I'd probably at least give it a try. I don't meet a whole lot of people who I can actually date, fraternization rules and all. It's just that I'm not interested in human women.”

Liara's face went through a brief puzzlement before what Ashley meant dawned on her. “Oh. I forget that other species have that sort of... I want to say preference, but I know it's more than just a preference. I don't know exactly how Asari manage to get around that for most people. I'm... sorry. It must feel very invasive. If I could make it stop, I would.”

Invasive. That was the right word. The way people's orientations changed around Asari had never settled well with Ashley. Though she knew a few women who were very firmly straight, yet still interested in Asari, and she never for a moment questioned their sexual identities. She'd also met plenty of women who were straight and had zero interest in Asari. It seemed to be fairly random. She'd never questioned her own identity either, she knew she was straight, but she'd never felt comfortable giving herself the same exception she had been willing to give everyone else without question. She didn't like the idea of people playing with her head that way. 

“Thank you,” Ashley said. “That actually means a lot. I don't think I've ever heard an Asari, or anyone else, say that before. Most people just act like it's nothing. I suppose it's just a fact of life for most people.”

“Feel free to say I'm full of it,” Liara said. “But I have noticed many people aren't affected. Cortez isn't. Maybe it's just a new kind of sexuality you didn't know about before.” 

“I'm not sure I follow.”

“Well,” Liara said. “Some people are attracted to female sexual characteristics. Some are attracted to male ones. Some both. Some none. Some people don't see anyone that way. Some people see anyone that way, wherever they are in terms of sex and gender. Some people are only physically attracted to people they already care for. Asari are mildly telepathic. Some species pick up on that at a distance, subconsciously. Is it so strange to think that maybe some people have an attraction to that sort of thing? Maybe your species, and everyone else's, I suppose, has always been that way. If you were sexually attracted to that sort of telepathy, and you never met an Asari, how would you ever know?”

“That actually makes a lot of sense,” Ashley said. “There are some Asari I don't find attractive. And if you were mind controlling me into thinking you were sexy, it'd make more sense if I liked all of you, rather than just... making it so I liked your species in general.” Ashley actually liked Liara's idea very much, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was because she thought Liara was right, or if she wanted Liara to be right. If Asari weren't messing with her head, if she'd always been attracted to them, without outside influence... that was a much more comfortable idea. 

Liara leaned forward slightly, a smile on her face. “I notice you've been looking very intently at my eyes, Miss Williams,” she said. “One might almost suspect you were avoiding looking somewhere else. If you don't find all Asari attractive... should I be flattered?”

Ashley's response was cut short by the reappearance of their waiter, as well as a set of glasses and Asari wine. The waiter, still quite silent, refused to leave until Liara had given him their orders. Ashley allowed Liara to order on her behalf. She didn't know what sort of food they served here, and didn't especially want to see the waiter's condescending look, which she imagined he probably practiced daily for just such an occasion, when she ordered wrong. 

“I'm still waiting for an answer,” Liara said, once the waiter was gone. Ashley had rather hoped she'd forgotten. 

“You should probably be flattered,” Ashley said. “Especially in that dress. I'm used to more modest clothing from you.”

“I'm used to wearing more modest clothing,” Liara said. “Like I said, I was nervous. I still am. I may have gone a little far in trying to be confident. Still, it is for you. As much as I appreciate your politeness, and wish that more shared your restraint, you can look, if you want to.” 

“I really can't,” Ashley said. “Not in the middle of a public area.”

“A shame then,” Liara said. “You won't get to enjoy it. It's not exactly me. It'll be coming off as soon as I get home.”

“Is that you trying hard at being confident ant sexy again?” Ashley said. 

“Very hard,” Liara said. “But even if it takes effort to say it clearly instead of stammering it out like some lovesick schoolgirl, It's still true. And you could be there to watch it come off, if you wanted.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“This feels like the right time,” Liara said. “Maybe it seems forward, or rash. And I suppose it probably is both. But it feels right to me. You can go as far as you want. However far you're comfortable with. If you decide you can't go farther than a firm handshake outside my door... that's fine by me. If you end up going further, and you decide you don't want to be anything more than a friend to me after, that's fine by me too. The only thing I want out of tonight is not to stand in my own way. As long as I'm not stopping myself from doing what I truly want to do then I'm happy, no matter what the outcome is.”

Ashley said nothing. She knew Liara wasn't trying to do anything besides make sure Ashley didn't feel pressured. Still, the words had cut deeper than Liara had meant them to. Ashley realized that she did want this. Or, at least, she wanted to try it. The part of her that was saying no wasn't saying no because she didn't like Liara. It was saying no because she didn't feel like she should like Liara, and that she shouldn't feel this way about an alien. But she did, at least enough to take her up on her offer. 

“All right,” Ashley said. “But if I go home with you, I'm going to do my best to bring out the stuttering, awkward Liara again.”

Liara blushed, her skin turning an even darker shade of blue. Ashley watched as the blush spread towards her chest, moving her eyes to follow it, being very slow and deliberate so Liara wouldn't be able to miss it. 

“Y-you might find that an easier task than you imagine,” Liara said, breathlessly. 

“You blush pretty hard, T'Soni.”

“You should have seen what I looked like when my dad finished making suggestions for how the night could go,” Liara said. “She saw the way I was walking away from you... I probably shouldn't have told her the truth.”

Ashley just shook her head, leaned across the table and gave Liara a slow, tentative kiss. She hadn't realized just how much smaller Liara's face was than the men she normally dated, or how odd it would feel to kiss someone without so much as a trace of stubble, or even hair at all. She brushed Liara's cheek with her hand as she kissed her, marveling at the smoothness. 

“Do you feel that?” Ashley said as she pulled away. 

Liara shook her head, practically gasping for air, her mixed emotions having completely overwhelmed her veneer of confidence. 

“If you pay careful attention, I'm pretty sure you can feel the vibration caused by my dad spinning in his grave, way back on Earth. Probably confusing the hell out of the Reapers.” 

“He'd have been that upset you kissed a woman?” Liara said. 

“Of course not,” Ashley said. “An alien though... Well, at least you're not a Turian. His head might have exploded if I kissed a Turian.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For now, this is the end. I don't have any specific plans to continue this story, but it's something I could easily see myself writing more of, so I'm leaving it a little open ended for now.

By the time Ashley got into the cab with Liara, she was feeling a little more awkward. She suspected Liara was too. She wasn't having second thoughts, but she was starting to understand the idea behind the fancy restaurant a little bit better. Outside the romantic setting, everything felt a little more real, and Ashley felt a little more awkward making overt gestures. 

Still, as Liara smiled over at her, Ashley couldn't help but look at Liara's head crest. It was a structure she didn't know much about, but she'd seen some adverts for cosmetic surgery for it, so she assumed it was fairly important to the Asari. 

Ashley slowly reached a hand over to Liara's scalp, stopping short of actually touching it. “May I...?” 

Liara nodded, and Ashley reached out the rest of the way, running her fingers along the ridges. It felt a little scalier than her cheek had, but still warm and smooth. Liara closed her eyes and leaned her head into Ashley's caress a little bit, before likewise reaching over and exploring Ashley's hair, apparently as curious about it as Ashley had been about her scalp. 

“I think it's only Humans and Quarians who have this,” Liara said, before running a soft finger over the edge of Ashley's ear, eliciting a small sigh. “I'm not sure if the Quarians have ears like this or not. They're very... unique.”

It wasn't long before they arrived at Liara's apartment building. It was a far more modest building than Shepard's, and as Liara took Ashley's hand and lead her into her first floor room, Ashley could see that the entire apartment was only marginally larger than Liara's quarters on the Normandy were. 

“I would have thought with your resources...” Ashley said. 

“Oh, I could have a massive place like Shepard's,” Liara said. “But I don't plan on living out of this place. I just wanted somewhere to sleep if I had business on the Citadel.”

Ashley turned to see Liara's dress was already in a crumpled ball on the floor, and, as she watched, Liara shed her bra as well. 

“Not wasting any time,” Ash said, her voice catching slightly as she looked over Liara's body.

“I did promise,” Liara said, pulling down and stepping out of her panties. “Besides, it wasn't me.” Liara didn't quite meet Ashley's eyes, wringing her hands. “I suppose that wasn't exactly the world's best striptease, but... here I am. Not hiding behind anything.”

Ashley slid her arms around Liara. “You're beautiful,” she whispered. As she breathed in she could smell Liara, still not sure exactly what she was smelling. It was sweet, like some sort of flower, or maybe a fruit she had never seen before, similar enough to something she knew that she felt she should be able to put a finger on it, yet different enough to be completely unique. As she brought her lips to Liara's neck she could taste a hint of salt from Liara's sweat. 

“That's good,” Liara said, her fingers fumbling to unfasten Ashley's shirt. “I... I've never...” 

“I've never been with a woman,” Ashley said. “So this'll be new for the both of us.”

Ashley helped Liara in removing her clothing, though Liara didn't seem inclined to attempt to be less clumsy in her attempts to undress her, as her fingers often wound up in places she didn't intend, but did desire.

“I was advised to attempt to remove these with my teeth,” Liara said, slipping her fingers through the waistband of Ashley's panties, the only piece of clothing they hadn't removed together. “But that seems perhaps more advanced than I think I am ready for.” 

Liara ran a hand over Ashley's abs once the final piece of clothing had been removed, feeling the muscles that were normally hidden by her uniform. 

“I hadn't realized how much hair there would be,” Liara said. 

“You didn't know we grew hair down there?” Ashley said. “I thought you of all people would have done some research.” 

“I did,” Liara said. “Though most of the image models, at least for the non-medical ones, seemed to be shaved. I admit I was a little relieved to see that a lack of hair seemed acceptable for your people. What's harder to see is the tiny ones all over the rest of you. They seem to be everywhere. … I think I like them.”

“Non-medical nude photos, huh?” Ashley said, sliding one hand around to Liara's rear while the other caressed the side of her breast. “Where I'm from, we have a word for that. We call it porn.”

Liara brought her shoulders back, pushing her chest into Ashley's hand. “Well, you should be glad I looked for paid models instead of just coming through my surveillance footage for naked people.” 

“There's a word for that too,” Ashley said, savoring the smoothness of Liara's breast in her hand, the almost impossible firmness of her posterior. “Voyeurism.” 

“I'll have you know, I only use my position to watch people have sex if I plan on selling the tape,” Liara said. “Though I suppose this would also be a good time to mention I do regular bug sweeps of this place.” 

Ashley just pulled Liara closer, kissing her long and deep this time, allowing herself to relax and enjoy it more than her tentative first attempt. Slowly her hand slid down from Liara's breast, over her firm stomach, and finally came to rest between her legs, running her fingers through the slick wetness already starting to build there.

“I don't think we're quite at that point yet,” Ashley said. “But please tell me you've got some sort of lubricant in here...” 

“I'm over a hundred,” Liara said. “It may not be old for Asari standards, but our needs are no less frequent than for humans. Rest assured, the contents of my nightstand drawer would be enough to make Joker blush.” 

“You are a patience species,” Ashley murmured, slowly pushing Liara back into her bedroom before lowering her into the bed. Liara wrapped her arms around Ashley, pulling her down as well, before rolling over so she could be on top. 

Ashley groaned as Liara started to kiss her, her flesh burning where Liara's lips made contact before she started to zero in on Ashley's breast, kissing one while her hand kneaded the other, before she pulled Ashley's nipple into her mouth, teasing the tip of it with her tongue. 

“Oh God,” Ashley gasped. “Oh God, that's perfect...” 

Liara pulled away eventually, apparently fairly satisfied with herself at Ashley's reaction, before repeating the same treatment on her other breast, smoothing it with kisses for a tortuously long time before finally drawing in Ashley's nipple. 

Ashley brought her hand between Liara's legs again, running her fingers over her lips, sitting up as she drove Liara to distraction, pushing Liara down onto the bed again before opening the drawer of the nightstand. 

As Liara had indicated, the array of objects inside the drawer was vast, including several forms of vibrators and a multitude of dildos in all shapes and sizes, many modeled after various species. Having been drunk, curious, and blessed with an extranet connection during a couple of shorleave's past, Ashley could identify at least one as being modeled after a Turian, though she was a little relieved to see no Krogan models. Along with the toys there was a fairly massive bottle of lubricant, and a box of condoms. 

“Helps in keeping everything clean,” Liara explained.

“Makes sense,” Ashley said. “This is a lot of stuff, I thought this place was just so you had somewhere to crash on the Citadel.”

“Imagine a dry spell almost as long as your entire life span,” Liara nodded. “Now imagine there isn't much of an end to it in the near future that you can see... These are just a few things in case I need them. You should see my actual collection.”

“Sweet, innocent little Liara has spent enough money on sex toys she could have brought a cruiser for less,” Ashley said. “See, now I wish I'd asked about your sex life sooner...” 

“It turns out, most sweet, innocent people have something like that,” Liara said.

“... Tali?” Ashley asked. “No, wait, I don't want to know. Too awkward.”

“Not my place to tell anyway,” Liara said. “I believe you were in the middle of something?”

Ashley nodded before taking the lubricant and putting a generous amount on her finger. Between Liara's deeply aroused state and the lubricant, she was able to slide inside with ease. 

Liara flopped back on the bed, her body relaxing, save for her hips, which sometimes rose up to meet Ashley's hand, especially as Liara started to work in a second, then a third finger. 

Ashley blinked as an odd fuzziness started to surround her thoughts, pushing in from all sides. She wasn't sure what it was until Liara opened her eyes, and Ashley saw the black swirls around them. She jerked back suddenly, almost reflexively. 

“What's wrong?” Liara asked. “Is everything... oh... the meld... I didn't even realize I was...”

“There's a lot of stuff in my head I'm not exactly proud of,” Ashley said. “I want to. I just...”

Liara sat up and put an arm around Ashley's waist. “I understand. It's a scary prospect. I remember when I had to meld with Shepard. It wasn't sexual, but it was still terrifying, letting someone else into my head.”

“Shepard never mentioned anything like that,” Ashley said. 

“She probably didn't see anything wrong with me,” Liara said. “I saw all the things she thought were wrong about herself. Some memories. Some good ones and some bad ones. I honestly do not remember them now. It was impersonal. But I do remember that seeing her mind as a whole, everything she was... all the bad things felt like nothing. I'd always thought Asari were so picky about who they melded with because they didn't want to wind up in someone's mind if it was ugly inside. Now I realize... I don't think there's anyone so awful that I could meld with them and not have at least a little sympathy for coming out. You have to trust the person you're melding with is a good person before you do it because once you do, it's really hard to be objective.”

“That doesn't sound too bad,” Ashley said. “I know you're a good person.”

“I don't always know I'm a good person,” Liara said. “But I know you are. You never shrink from what you know is right, no matter the consequences. I trust you.”

“All right,” Ashley said, trying to swallow her nervousness. She remembered all the things she thought about Liara in the past. She didn't even mean most of them at the time, but some of her stray thoughts and suspicions has been pretty ugly. Liara didn't strike her as being overly vengeful, but it also seemed like a lot to forgive when directly confronted with it. “All right, I'm willing to try it.” 

Liara kissed her. “Trust me. I... can't explain what it's like. But you'll be glad you tried it. Now clear your mind. Embrace eternity.” 

Ashley didn't resist as Liara's mind pushed against her own. It didn't feel especially eternal. At first it just felt like there were two of her. She knew the Asari joined minds, btu she hadn't properly realized what it meant to join their nervous systems. She could feel everything about Liara's body, not just the sensations she was getting, but the kinesthetics of it. She could tell where every part of Liara was without looking, just by feeling it. She could feel the power of Liara's biotics surging under the surface of her body, even though it seemed as though Liara hardly noticed the sheer power that coursed through her. 

Ashley felt a wave of appreciation for her own body, her muscles and strength.

“Goddess, you're so strong,” Liara said. It took Ashley a moment to realize she wasn't actually speaking aloud. “So strong. Your body feels so good...” 

Ashley leaned forward to kiss her, feeling it from both hers and Liara's perspective, knowing immediately how it felt best for Liara and moving to accommodate it. She penetrated Liara with her fingers again, realizing, now that she could feel Liara's side of it, she'd been far more gentle than needed earlier. 

Liara, feeling the growing need between Ashley's legs, grabbed for the lubricant as their connectiong grew deeper. Ashley felt the act of being both penetrated and penetrating, and it took her a second to work out that Liara had slid a finger into her, instead of her sliding another finger into Liara. She was having trouble keeping track of whose limbs belonged to who. She could feel a hand stroking a body, btu she wasn't sure whose hand it was, or one whose body. She wasn't sure if it was acting because of Liara's will or her own. 

“Let go...” Liara's voice said in her mind. “Don't try to keep track. My hands are your hands. My body is your body. Just enjoy the feeling.”

One of them cried out in pleasure as the touches quickly went from clumsy and untrained to near expert. It wasn't about Liara pleasing Ashley, or Ashley pleasing Liara anymore. They were both, together, bringing pleasure to each other. Ash was dimly aware that Liara's cry of “Goddess” came out of her mouth instead of Liara's, but the distinction seemed meaningless. She could smell her own scent now, realizing it smelled as alien and intoxicating to Liara as Liara had smelled to Ashley. 

As the meld grew deeper, Ashley could feel more than Liara's surface thoughts and feelings. She felt Liara's worry about what she had become, the brutal nature she'd had to let become a part of her, the people she'd killed without remorse. And yet she felt the core of Liara's being, the caring soul that still bruned inside her, and the concerns seemed almost silly. She wasn't becoming a monster in the slightest. 

Ashley felt Liara in her own head, similarly observing her concerns, he guilt about not trusting Shepard, the things she had said and thought about the people who were now her best friends, and brushing them away with an almost casual, and yet utterly sincere forgiveness. 

The idea of oral went through someone's head, it was impossible to tell whose, and Ashley felt a body move to deliver. Through Liara's eyes, she could see it was her own head positioning itself between Liara's legs. She felt hardly in control anymore, though she knew she was. She and Liara were moving their bodies together, working together in harmony well enough to satisfy their collective needs almost automatically. Ashley's tongue explored Liara's folds, quickly learning what brought her, both of them, the most pleasure. 

Ashley could feel the power under Liara's skin shift as she used it, a biotic field appearing around Ashley's clit, like a tiny field, almost like a warp field, but causing only harmless vibrations. Ashley's body buckled involuntarily while Liara's gave voice to both their cries of combined pleasure. 

Ashley felt her mouth pull away from Liara as she moved towards the drawer again, needing something more than fingers to sate the empty yearning she was starting to feel. She grabbed the Turian shaped dildo, slid a condom over it, and gave it a generous helping of lubricant before sliding it into Liara, wrapping her lips around Liara's clit and sucking gently, running her tongue along the sensitive bundle in her mouth, the sensation of being stretched, licked, and vibrated all at once, in addition to the waves of lust and affection she and Liara were sharing between their minds was enough to overwhelm her.

She wasn't sure whose body came first, but the feeling of it pushed the other over the edge almost immediately, and Ashley felt as if her mind might break under the combined pleasure of feeling two powerful orgasms at once.

Slowly their minds drifted apart, and Ashley was herself again, one mind in one body, her brain tingling with afterglow, and an odd lightness. She hadn't realized how much her cares had weighed on her. They weren't gone now. Ashley could tell they hadn't been magically banished. But having someone look through her, see every dark, secret part of her, and accept it all wasn't a feeling she could even begin to describe. 

“That was... amazing,” Ashley said after a moment, taking stock of her surroundings. She and Liara were both lying back on the bed now, though she'd been so lost in the meld she wasn't sure quite when that had happened. Now that she was coming back down she was also starting to realize just how sweaty and sticky she was. 

“Thank you for doing this with me,” Liara said, putting an arm around Ashley and holding her close. Ashley could smell the perfume from before, knowing now that's what it was because it mingled with Liara's own true scent now, both alien and intoxicating. 

“Same,” Ashley said. “... If you can do that wonderful thing with your biotics, why so many vibrators?”

“Laziness,” Liara said. “And variety.”

Ashley said nothing, just enjoying the soft warmth of Liara's body pressed against her for now. Ashley wasn't usually much of one for snuggling, but this felt right. 

“Is it always that intense?” Ashley asked eventually. “The meld?”

“I don't know for sure,” Liara said. “But I've been told it varies. Most people say the first time with a partner is a bit... wild. So many complicated thoughts and feelings to sort out. I've been told sometimes they can be very calm affairs, with partners sharing only pleasure, and not physical and mental identities. Others can be so intense that there is, briefly, no distinction to be made between the two. Melded to the degree of being one, in every way save merging their physical bodies.”

“You know, normally that last one would creep me out,” Ashley said. “But spending a little time like that with you doesn't sound so bad. … So what now?”

“Well, in the immediate short term, we share my shower,” Liara said. “Long term... we do share a ship. I have my own private quarters. I would be... willing to continue this.”

Ashley nodded slightly. “Yeah. … Let's see where it takes us.” Ashley couldn't believe she was saying it. She may not have had much against aliens as people, but relationships with them had always been off the table for her in the past. Of course, she'd have never slept with an alien before either.

Ashley let herself be lead over to the shower. It a fairly tiny cubicle, but they both managed to squeeze into it and help each other wash. Ashley couldn't help but admire the woman she supposed was her girlfriend now. She'd always seen Liara as a little lean, but, even though she'd seen Liara pull a squad of Geth into the air, she'd never really appreciated just how strong she really was. 

As soon as they were both clean and dry, they collapsed back into bed. Ashley felt Liara snuggle close again before she passed out, completely exhausted, and for the first time in a very long time, completely satisfied.


End file.
